Ellington at Newport

Proof once again that live albums aren't great. If it wasn't for the sheer, unbelievable talent of the musicians, I'd have no interest in this whatsoever. I don't enjoy the audience noise. I don't enjoy the compere. I sure as toffee don't enjoy live albums generally. Sure, these musicians are insanely good. Would they be better in the studio, with a great producer? Absolutely yes.

OMG this was long... I think I could've watched the whole movie Whiplash in this time (which I would've preferred)

I mean, shit, I don't think I've ever heard a solo on the level of the solo in "Dimineuendo And Crescendo In Blue". The energy here is unmatched, and you can tell the crowd was feeling it. Insane performance. Favorite tracks: "Dimineuendo And Crescendo In Blue", "Festival Junction"

This album is a great reminder that jazz was a living, breathing genre of music. It was born in an age when live music was king, long before a musical album was a concept. It’s music for improvising, music for dancing, and music for living in the moment. This is also one of those albums where the context greatly enhances the music: the fact that this revitalized his flagging career, and the amazing marathon saxophone solo

The music was great, but I could do without all the emcee banter.

Insert Johnny Hodges’ solo on I Got It Bad directly into my veins

I wrote an imaginary doctoral thesis on music production technology's influence on popular culture and this album was at the center of it. It's hard to translate the energy transmission that occurs at a great musical performance but a technical accident necessitated overdubbing a sax solo that had originally riled the audience to new heights and to drown out the sound of the original sax solo, the producer cranked up the audience track, making an excited audience sounds downright riotous. The show helped revive Duke's career among the cognoscenti at the show, but the album with the frenzied audience elevated his standing in the broader culture to new heights. I don't like big band music too much, but when I do it's either Duke Ellington or Count Basie, and this album gives you a little of both, in that I understand that Papa Joe Jones (drummer for Basie's best band but look him up; possibly the most influential drummer ever) was on the edge of the stage, beating time with a rolled up newspaper and I understand was one of the voices shouting encouragement and celebration. That's damn cool. For more information, I refer you to this delightful article I cited in my dissertation: https://www.csmonitor.com/1985/0923/upres.html

Exceptional. They certainly don't make music like this anymore. And I will overlook that some of the "live music" was recreated in the studio (including fake applause). Paul Gonsalves’ epic solo during Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue simply has to be heard to be believed.

This album is phenomenal. I don’t know much about jazz but I like this.

See!!! i can like jazz!!!

By the time of the Duke's Newport appearance in 1956, big bands were in the process of being, or already were, passé. The pre-World War II relic of jazz sophistication gave way to shorter groups, with trios and quartets, quintets and maybe even sextets becoming de rigueur and Duke had next to no room to occupy space. Newport '56 was a reminder of who he was, why he commanded the respect justly given to him and how he remained integral to the status that jazz had obtained in the decades past and present. If he and his band were percieved as though they were on the downward slope, they don't sound like it, as they are as vibrant and radiant as they were in their heyday, with Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue, Take the "A" Train and Skin Deep riding the ship on towards land and into cheering arms. A magnificent document of a triumphant comeback, may we love him madly.

Really nice Jazz album by a master. Born in 1899 he was active on the music scene for much of the early American Swing and Jazz era. There are not many music lovers that have never heard of Duke Ellington. Not something I'd listen to often, but it is great! 4/5

Obviously excluding all of the introductions and the national anthem, the album isn't the worst. Jazz instrumentals always make for good background music. If that trumpet wasn't so overbearing at times, I would have enjoyed it more. 3.5/10

I’m sure Duke Ellington paved the way for jazz music. However, this “album” is half of them speaking and the other half is live performances where I can’t hear any other instruments other than this🎺 If it was 1950 and I had some ❄️ with a broad on my shoulder drinking an old fashioned, this would be a 10/10. Instead it’s a 2/10 especially for it staring with the star spangled banner.

Boring. I don't like jazz

Big Band at it's best.

Wow. I’ve listened to this several times. Despite my previous review, and maybe my lack of culture, a lot of the jazz sounded quite similar, but even this you could feel the technical skill that went into it. It’s a live album and the crowd love it. My favourite is Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue. The saxophonist plays a 27 chorus solo and the vibe through your makes your hair stand on end. I’ve always appreciated jazz but would never consider myself wise or knowledgeable. I couldn’t name any jazz tracks to even recommend someone however this album is a fantastic introduction and I’m glad I have heard it

My dad, a fan of this performance, says “Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue” is the one he returns to, the climax to Ellington’s popular story rather than his life, the gig where a chunk of the band don’t turn up to the first set, and the track written for the festival fails to rouse, only for the tenor saxophonist, blows a marathon into the wrong microphone, nearly incites a riot according to the papers, though this recordings indicates little more than a few encore demands and likely dancing. Reading the hype first, the solo almost disappoints, probably because I was expecting some sort of Coltrane-es que explosion rather than the fleet, chatty and upbeat hopping between notes that Gonsalves holds for six minutes, but once I accepted this is more an ocean liner than a power boat I had a good time, though maybe not as much as the blonde woman in a black dress that the accounts place unusual emphasis on. The squeals at the end of “Festival Junction” sound like a tantrum, either at the band’s structure or the perception of its obsolescence, its dead economic model: we can blast too. There’s defiance as well as melancholy in celebrating a near-extinct form, a collective in their late middle-age demonstrating their mastery of banging out tunes as one; the songs were old by then, and you can hear the sweat flicking off the drums. I’ll take my dad’s approach to this one.

If you really like Jazz this album is probably pretty awesome and I can see how it is musically technically impressive.

At Newport ‘56 My main thoughts of Duke Ellington are of his spirit living in the attic in Big Mouth writing songs full of sexual innuendo and trying to bang the ghost of Whitney Houston. Nothing like that is happening here though. This is a perfectly fine live big band/swing/jazz album with two stand outs. The smoky, piano-led Blues to Be There is great, the horns are used to augment it brilliantly and it genuinely feels like it tells a musical story. And the frenzied energy of Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue is undeniable, you can really feel the feedback loop of the players and the crowd and the resulting manic excitement. Generally I’m not a fan of this sort of uptempo Jazz, but this performance feels genuinely electric and you can’t help but be carried along on a wave of jazzy commotion. Jeep’s Blues is probably the best of the rest, with Festival Junction and Newport Up being fine but forgettable. Outside Blues to Be There and Diminuendo there probably isn’t a great deal to return to, but those two and Diminuendo in particular are so good they carry it to a medium-high 3. 🔵🔵🔵 Playlist submission: Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue

Not quite my tempo… unfortunately an all around snooze fest. I can appreciate what he may have done for the genre but me listening to it today was tough to get through. INCREDIBLE background music tho. 3/10 My Top Track: Take the “A” Train

Not sure if it was the music, the audience, the host, the production value or a combination of all - but I found this incredibly irritating and I could hardly get through it. No doubt the musicians are extremely talented, and if you're into jazz/swing this would probably be amazing. I found it too long, grating and frustrating to listen to. I might feel differently if I was there in person, and I can enjoy this style of music - but the album actually mad me feel angry to listen to.

Self indulgent wiffle-waffle. I thought jazz was all about improv and doing something different, yet this all sounded the same to my untrained ear. 1 star, just to annoy jazz wankers.

Man I wish I could have been there! This rules!

Decided to listen to the original album - which is 38 mins - and found this on Spotify. Really impressive performance and captures the raw energy of the big band.

Wonderful. Seems like a product of time gone by (which it is). I loved the transition from Skin Deep into the crowd almost rioting - talk about something that would never happen in 2025. Blues to Be There is my favorite track.

This song reminds me of something you would hear in like a nice Italian resturant. I rate this song a 10/10.

I rate Jeeps Blues a 5 star because its like jazz and I really like jazz and the saxophone is good all the instruments are good ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. I rate Take The "A" Train a 5 star because its like jazz and I really like jazz and the saxophone is good all the instruments are good⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. I rate Saffiicated Ladie a 5 star because its like jazz and I really like jazz and the saxophone is good all the instruments are good⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.

It's Duke Ellington. Ya gotta respect it.

This album almost makes up for the stunning lack of important Jazz on this list. 5/5

I'm generally much more a fan of more stripped down jazz than big band stuff, but this album is just undeniably phenomenal. This is one I absolutely need to get.

Si alguien hiciera la lista super oficial con todos los discos de la historia y éste quedara en primer lugar, no tendría peros. Así de bueno es.

"Diminuendo in Blue" is amazing. The solo is unbelievable.

97/1089 - Amazing soloists. Cool harmonies. Crowd was loving it. A fun live album to listen to.

This is so my speed

What an igniting performance! If you don't like this, you don't like jazz.

Stunning “live” performance from Duke Ellington and his band. Textbook definition of what a jazz recording should be.

Fantastic album, absolutely love jazz if I don’t listen to it all the time. Duke Ellington is really really good, his group is so tight. It’s a bit long at two hours and 11 minutes, with a lot of those filler talking in between, but I think it was important for me to listen to this.

I found this to be insanely good. The craft and musicianship at display here is incredible and the energy that seeps out of this thing is insane. This is the kind of surprise that I do this challenge for.

good

Great

Live album. Jazz. 10/10

Hit a pr while listening. Goated jazz.

Festival Junction- fun, high-spirited introduction Blues to Be There- the trumpet player with the mute is the hero- don't love the end, which sounds like something from a 50s sitcom Newport Up- clarinet and trumpet solos to open Jeep's Blues Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue- feels like a goshdarned juke joint, which is strange, because that wasn't Ellington's thing- he led the classics, most talented Orchestra in the world

Genuinely, this album has to be one reason headphones, an easy chair, and gin was created. Never listened to his particular album before but it will be staying on regular rotation now. Stunningly talented musicianship with the leadership of Duke.

I was super productive while listening to this album. I appreciated the speaking in between the songs, made me feel like I was there!

Not super into jazz, but this had my ass locked in the whole commute home. And loved that little easter egg of young Quincy Jones being mentioned

Always great to hear old school jazz when it was the best music. Instrumental which Ibusually dont lime but thos genere is absolutely beautiful. This album has no bad songs all are great

Brilliant

Soul

That album is a masterpiece!

- Sensational. Vibrant. Enduring. Possibly the best swing jazz I have ever heard. I had to turn this off while I was working because I found myself wanting to dance too much. - Some of the out-of-control solos at the end of "Festival Junction" and "Diminuendo In Blue" light you on fire. - First album on the list where I listened to the original LP and found myself actually wanting to listen to the extended album.

Hell yeah, this is a triumph. Though I could do without Father Snorman and his damn announcements. A very impressive display of technical talent in that classic big band jazz style. A very nice thing. Diminuendo In Blue kicks ass. Solid drum solo on Skin Deep and the crowd goes nuts. What a killer album and story.

Words can’t express the joy of listening to this historical recording. The “Duke” is simply incredible and had assembled an amazing group of musicians.

Top notch. The concert showcases all the members of the band. Big boisterous arrangements, classy piano playing, tons of horns and solos. Superb.

Big band jazz når den är som bäst. Kanske ska börja titulera mig jazz man 🤭

Man what would it have been like to be there for this live. Love the sax vibrato, almost sounds like a different instrument

This was lots of fun for sure.

Video games introduced me to jazz and swing music, which led to me learning about the history of jazz and even though i hadn't heard the album i was well aware of the festival. It is part of music history and jazz history. in a time where jazz were shifting allot. A well earned spot on the list It is a bit long but it's enjoyable and pretty easy listened.

This album is so cool it doesn't need air conditioning in the summer. 5/5

Super cool. One of the best jazz albums I've listened to. 5/5

Duke's a persuasive composer; there's a preternatural uplift that all of his compositions share, a surety, a swagger, a candid sense of self and others. Nothing breaks down b/c everything's a great run into the center of life and its particularities. This live recording famously attains that sensibility with genius. Quite literally, Duke and Louis (who's unforgivably absent from this list) invented our music. And a special shout-out to Cat Anderson, the best of all muted trumpeters I've heard. Sam Woodyard too on ‘Skin Deep.’

watch video of the band. hep af.

<3 star spangled banner- 6 black and tan fantasy- 8 or 9 tea for two- 8 or 9 take the a train- 8 or 9 festival junction- 8 or 9 blues to be there- 8 newport up- 9 sophisticated lady- 7 day in day out- 7 diminuendo in blue- 8 or 9 i cant finish this because my attention span is rotted but jazz is one of the best things mankind ever came up with

Eso es musica, además virtuosismo de gran nivel. La pena es que es en vivo y se pierde gran rango de calidad que la grabación en estudio. Pese a esta perdida, Ellington y sus eximios instrumentistas brillan y enceguecen.

Big band perfection. Swings hard and everything is in its right place. Grabbing the spotlight when needed and sitting in the pocket when not. Puts you right in the heat of it

Fantástico álbum, tanto musicalmente como por la historia que hay detrás. En primer lugar, encuentra el punto exacto entre swing y jazz (aka big band jazz), lo que me transporta varios años atrás, cuando escuchaba a Louis Prima, pero con un toque adicional de sofisticación. Por otro lado, me encanta poder escuchar la reacción del público de la época, una auténtica locura. Por este motivo, la versión en CD de 1999, que es más fiel al concierto, me gusta mucho más que la versión de semi-estudio original. Cinco estrellas que confirman que me estoy haciendo mayor.

laitappa päiväkirjaan vähän muistelmaa nyt tähän kohtaan: tänään oli TYÖ_ PÄIVÄ!! saatana.. päivä ennen suurjunailua taas kerran. kolmen viikon lomille... paitsi ei ole loma... pitää saatana vempuilla niin sanotulla vapaa-ajallakin.. sipilä OTTAA JA OTTAA JA OTTAA.. eikä anna perkele takaisin mitään!! btw ovela albumi. varsin juonikas. metkut päällä mennään herttuan kanssa ilmeisesti. tänään oli ihan kiva kuunnella älämölöä, turhaa pälätystä ja lätinää vanhanajan livesoittoa konsanaan. oikein mielekästä pikkuhyppyjä tehdään istuimella pikkuhyppyjä ylösalas.. annetaan kuomalle propseja tästä... props props props ja shillinki kainaloon.. siitä saat päivän eväät. blues to be there

One of the most essential live Jazz recordings of all time. Astounding musicianship.

I listened to the complete 2 hour edition, was a lovely Sunday morning soundtrack

Beautiful jazz, didn’t listen to the extended version but worth a listen. Energetic and groovy, keeps you entertained throughout.

Wow. So good from start to finish

Domó el duque

Outstanding.

This is just beautiful. Big band jazz at its finest. Such amazing players! Unless you just need riffage or you don't have a soul -- you'll enjoy this.

Un album excellent dans l'ensemble qui, si l'on omet la qualité de l'enregistrement, est un délice pour les oreilles. Mention spéciale pour : "Black and Tan Fantasy" qui sort vraiment du lot.

All the horns, piano, bass, drums had amazing sounds. I don't typically relate to jazz but this had big dance energy and reminded me of New Orleans (although it isn't from that region). Surprised how much I enjoyed this.

America’s Mozart. But better. Why can’t we have beautiful music anymore?

Some of the sounds those instruments made! Was a pleasure to listen to. Wish I was there screaming as well.

Make those instruments sing DUKE

He’s the best for a reason. This album totally holds up. Production is still on point.

Ellington and his crew killed it.

Wow. What an experience! I wasn't familiar with the Duke, but this album really showcased why he was such a legend. His group has such raw, potent energy. It's amazing to hear the crowd go wild. 'Black and Tan Fantasy' was my fave here.

Bardzo dobre, ale za dużo gadania

Real quality jazz. Miles Davis didn't get a 5 becuase I heard this before I rated the Davis album. The live aspect was also fun. I like the calming if the riot song. Audiences used to go hard!

9/10

Swanky!

There are so many versions of this album, some (including the original 50s release)are mostly studio recorded. After listening to that I found a complete cd release with the studio and live recordings separated. I liked it so much I will probably listen to it all.

It was exceptional! What a show and Music!

I'm not the biggest jazz fan, but this is good. It does sound a little bit like the background to a cartoon from the 50s though. Blues to Be There sounds like George Gershwin. Before the rise of pop music, every thing sounded like a score to a movie. This is a good listen. The longer this goes the more I like it. This is a great album. I only listened to the original release version but I will definitely check out the 2 hour complete recording now.

Very exciting

OK, so, to begin with — so we're clear — I only listened to the songs that were included on the original 1956 LP, in the order they were presented in. It's not that I didn't have time or want to hear the complete concert. Much like The Who and LIVE AT LEEDS, I wanted to hear the album as it was originally released (as much as I could, anyway),so... Here we are. And for my second "to begin with," let it be known that all of the material here is amazing. This band is just superb and tight as hell. Hearing these concert recordings specifically instead of the studio versions makes it all the better; knowing that they were doing this stuff live in one go in front of a crowd. I mean, hey, that's part of the magic of live albums, innit? And in terms of jazz live albums, goodness, this big band stuff is so much more my shit to listen to than that "Sunday at the Village Vanguard" album by some trio I can't remember the name of. Seriously, them horns and that drummer. It'd make me wanna watch WHIPLASH again if that movie wasn't so much... A **lot**, y'know? But that's off-point; simply put, none of the material here is worth missing. Now, of course, I say all that because... Goodness, "Diminuendo And Crescendo In Blue". I can't imagine anything else being the climax of the album. It's— wow, what a showstopper. Especially knowing that the solo Gonsalves played was apparently so exciting that the entire audience couldn't help but get up and cause a big ruckus dancing to it. That, and that one Gonsalves finished his solo he **collapsed**. On its own, without this extra context, it still would've been an awe-inspiring solo. With that extra info, though... Yeah, goodness, I can hear why this performance is so legendary, even without hearing all of it. Needless to say, I'm a big 5 on this album. Goodness me. I really gotta return and hear this thing in full sooner than later, I swear. A masterwork, pure and simple.

It’s a 5. I don’t need to use any more than 2 paragraphs to explain why. It’s a live jazz album, what did you think it was gonna get? The only way it could’ve been any lower than a 4 would be if someone had just been yelling into a microphone the whole time. I’m not super deep into music theory to tell someone why these are good, or to explain the deep complexities in the performance. I have an ear, and that’s about all I need, I think. My ear is telling me this was really fucking good. This is my first time listening to anything by Duke Ellington. I now want to listen to even more of Duke Ellington – I know the name, I know his place in history, and I know his deep, deep importance to this specific era of big band jazz. There’s a reason Stevie Wonder made Sir Duke. He lived up to the hype and more – this is a spectacular 44 minutes; there's neither a wasted note nor a moment where the energy dies down. Mix that with a red-hot crowd hanging onto every single flourish & some stellar compositions, and you end up at an easy 5.

I don't really understand jazz (how does the song translate to the title-idk) but I like the way it makes my brain feel. I skipped all the intro talking parts, a downside to live albums. But I found the musical skill to be impressive. I would give it 4.5 but rounded it up instead

This is exactly what I think of when I hear Big Band Jazz. This concert had to be WILD. Reading up in the Wiki page, I had already known that Duke supported his band through some time but I had no idea this was the point it really turned around again getting them back on a record contract. And that sax solo in Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue....Holy shit, Gonsalves played his heart out to collapse. This had to be an epic experience and we are so lucky it was captured here.

Sheer perfection.

Just in awe of Duke's skill and the whole band. Love the whoops and hollers from the band as Duke plays that are caught on this live recording. You can feel how much fun Duke, the band, and the audience are having during this show. And the fuckin talent! Goddamn, Duke is a legend.

Love this to work or chill to

One of the reasons I'm doing this project is to be introduced to all the great albums of jazz. It's not my go-to genre, but when it hits, it hits. I really enjoyed this. I learned a lot reading some of the most liked reviews on here, for instance, Diminuendo In Blue features the infamous 27 chorus saxophone solo by Paul Gonsalves. And also the fact that parts of this were recreated in the studio. I know there are mixed reactions to this, but to me, they created a final project that really showcases the energy and joy felt by the performers and audience both. However they got there is fine by me. I listened to and am rating the original ~44 minutes, but I want to listen to the complete version sometime as well.

Love this album. Ellington really knew how to make use of his musicians' incredible talents. Diminuendo in Blue is just thrilling.